Keeper of the lines
by Marcus1233
Summary: Something wants the Ipswhich line to die out one was 'sent' to preserve the line.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I'm still a bit hazy about the history surrounding the Ipswich families. With the exception of John Putnam all the others first-names are fictitious. Don't wanna do research. Too lazy.

Prologue

Wakefield's Manor, England. 1AM

Alena Wakefield's pain came in the dead of the night. Her husband, Nathan immediately reacted, hollering for the maids to set water to boil and he went out to summon the midwife.

Ten minutes later Nathan sat helplessly by her side as pain racked her body.

He tried to sooth her with assuring words.

"Nathan, honey?"

"Yes sweetheart," he said as he stroke her hair. "I'm here for you darling."

"Come nearer…I want to tell you something," she whispered, clutching his arm to fight the pain.

Nathan complied.

It happened so fast that Nathan was startled. Her hands shot to his neck while letting out a blood-chilling scream. "This is you fault! The next time we make love, remind me to make a sterile man out of you!"

The midwife shook her head, muttering 'normal at birth'

It took all of Nathan's strength to pry her hands loose.

Three hours later and a final great effort, she pushed her baby into the world. A shrill cry of a healthy baby was her reward.

"I want to hold my son," Alena whispered weakly, her hands outstretched. Nathan took their child from the midwife and sat down beside his wife before handing her the baby.

"How'd you know it was a boy?" Nathan asked perplexed.

"From the pains, I can tell he'll be hell to care take off," she smiled. "Isn't he adorable? He has your hair."

"And your eyes," Nathan smiled.

The others present were content on watching the couple with their first-born.

Suddenly all hell broke loose. The door exploded inwards, almost flying off its hinges. In walked the sons of the other five families. They eyed the baby, who wailed on the top of his lungs.

"Leave us! Now!" barked the eldest of the five to the help.

The midwife and the maids rushed out in mere seconds.

Nathan stood up indignantly. "What's the meaning of this, Danver?"

His eyes flickered to reveal a pair of obsidian eyes. He waved his hands aside and Nathan went flying to the wall. He slid down into a dead faint.

"William! What the hell are you doing?" Alena demanded, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Regrettably, no…" Danver sighed. "I wish I was…"

"What do you want?"

"We're embarking to New World in an hours time," Parry stepped up. "And…"

"And we're taking the child with us." Gareth Garwin interjected.

The first two glared at his bluntness. William turned again to Alena, a sad smile on his face, "We need your child, Alena. We want to take him with us."

Alena clutched her newborn babe to her chest, trying to sooth the crying baby as much as she can. "What do you need him for?"

"You of all people should know that," he replied softly, his voice tinged with envy and something else…sadness? "How special your blood is and thus your child's. You know as much as I do that the continued existence of our line hangs on the balance."

"Yes," she said harshly, "At the expense of my child's freedom."

"We might never need to 'Sent' him or his line at all." Parry said hastily.

"And recent events caused by your recklessness inspires great confidence in me," Alena snapped sarcastically, eyeing John Putnam pointedly. The others flinched. Then she turned to face the youngest member of the company. "I'm disappointed in you Theodor. I would expect of this from Putnam, and even the others. But never you. The elders are probably writhing in their grave if they knew you are turning on a member of the coven."

Theodor Simms flinched. "I…"

"He didn't want any of this," Garwin defended heatedly. "It was four to one and he had to comply with the plan."

"And you're certainly one to talk," John said for the first time since their arrival. "You were the one to turn your back against the covenant when you married that filthy trash." He pointed to Nathan's figure on the floor with contempt. "You abandoned us, we who were your family before him."

"I didn't betray any of you. I just wanted a little space for my family."

"Bah! Leaving us hundreds of miles away is a 'little'? " Garwin demanded hotly.

"Enough!" Danver shouted. "We have no time for this."

"Yes," Putnam agreed. "We'll just take the baby and be on our way."

He walked to the bed. Before he could reach the bedpost he was flung backwards by a great force. On the bed, Alena had her right arm outstretched.

"Nobody is taking my son away from me," she snarled venomously, her eyes pitch black. She laid her son onto the bed who had resumed crying before turning back to face the five.

The others followed. "Don't be foolish Alena. You may be stronger than any of us," Danver said calmly, "But you are greatly weakened by the birth. And there are five of us and one of you."

"Shame you gentleman had to gang up on a girl," she sneered. "I'll just to hold on until you five dropped dead from exhausting your soul."

John stood up and brushed himself. "You bitch!" Then calling on the power he spread his palm. Tiny needle-like tentacles reached out towards Alena, who stopped the progress with a lucid transparent shell.

"Don't just stand there and looked like sotted idiots," he yelled to the others. "Get the baby! Danver! I need help here! I'd rather not be sucked dry before having my feet on the New World's ground."

Danver and Simms assisted him whilst Garwin and Parry both stepped forward to get the baby.

With one hand she held the barrier and with the other she swung upwards. The floorboard burst upwards, knocking the two.

"Gareth," Theodor shouted and ran to his side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, kittens. How about Caine?"

"Don't call me that." He said then gasped. "Oh God! Caine! Caine?" He turned to check on the other and sighed as he sat up, shaking his head.

"Thanks for remembering me." Parry muttered.

Putnam took the advantage of Alena's distraction and poured more energy to his assault. There was a cracking sound and her shield burst into tiny pieces that dissolved as it hit the ground. Alena hung in midair, shrieking in pain as the tentacles sunk into her body.

"Enough," Danver yelled but he didn't stop, a crazed smirk on Putnam's face.

Simms tackled him from the side breaking the spell and Alena came crashing down to the floor, consciousness knocked out of her.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Simms pinned him and shook Putnam roughly by the scruff of his shirt. "The plan was only to take the baby. Not to hurt her."

"She attacked me first," John pushed the other off of him. They stood up to face each other. "What? You want to take me on kittens?"

Danver went to the bed and took the still crying child to his arms. "That's enough the two of you. We still have a lot to do. Theodor, go check on Alena and heal her."

"But…" he started but was cut short off by William's glare. Simms scowled at a smug Putnam.

"John, go and find the staff. Erase every memories of Alena's pregnancy." William ordered.

"What?"

"We don't need any loose ends that might trace them back to us. Thank god her husband's a recluse and built a home faraway from the nearest village. Nobody knows about Alena's child. Theodor will deal with Alena and Nathan. Now go. Don't forget the midwife"

"What about us?" Garwin asked.

"The two of you go ahead and prepare the ritual. We'll need to bind the baby to us to avoid any future skirmishes like today."

The three walked out to do as ordered.

"What about Alena?" Theodor asked. "Can't we bring her with us?"

"She has made her choice to stay here. We cannot force her but we'll not let the baby stray from the family circle."

"But..."

"We've already done enough to pain her. It's all we could do to release her from further pain." With that said William turned around and walked out the door. And everything in the room reverted back to its original state, undamaged.

Theodor set out to do his job. Nathan first. Then he went to Alena.

He sighed and she started to cry, holding her to him. "I'm sorry. I never want any of this to happen. I'm sorry."

Alena suddenly gripped his arm. "Theodor?"

He looked at her face, etched in pain and his tears staining her face.

"Theodor." She said again. "Where's my baby?"

"I'm sorry," he rocked her back and forth. "He's with William."

"My baby," she choked, her own tears joining with his. "My baby. Please, don't let them take him away from me. My baby."

"I can't…"

"Please, Theodor."

"Shhh….Forget." Theodor crooned." He poured the 'Power' through her mind. "Forget any of this had ever happened. You only remember being free from the family and get on with your life with Nathan."

Alena closed her eyes, the spell pulsating through her body.

He set her into the covers of her bed. He proceeded to erase the trace of her pregnancy, healing her internal organ and clearing the boiled water and blood-stained towels.

He took a paper and pen and wrote, 'Try to visit the family in America…Loving you always, Theodor Simms' and set it beside her.

He walked out the door and went for the boat where they'll perform the ritual.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Gah! Everything was going along fine then I found a minor set back. The fic's time-span is hindering progress. I have to recollect and process more data. Damn. And I thought I've everything under my thumb.

Let me get this straight. Five families went to America in The 1600s right? What's the name of the first five original founders? How long did it span to the execution of John Putnam's? Anyone can help? I'll deeply appreciate if any can be thrown…given in my way.

This chap will be short. My horoscope says I'll have to stop my advances 'coz of technical problems…meaning my present circumstance.

By the way. I hope you readers are open-minded. There may be some pairings that's some people might find disturbing. I want do something different from the rest of the fic out there. Oh, about the mistakes in the first chap…not my fault for being distracted. Change the New Lands to the New World.

Disclaimer: I forgot to do it in the first chap. But you know the drill. Don't own any of the characters 'cept the sixth family and others beside the covenant boys and John Putnam.

Chapter 2

"It's done," William Danvers panted. He swayed before sinking down to the ground breathing heavily. The other four followed his lead and sat on the floor of the ship's cabin, each gasping from the sheer weight of 'using' too much. They've been at it on Alena's baby for the last few weeks of the journey to the New World, bit by bit each day, so as not to put too much pressure on their bodies.

"Finally," Garwin spoke up. "Any longer we would have shriveled up to an age of 30."

Silence ensued. They knew the price of calling on the Power. But what they just did was for the good of the coven; to preserve their lines.

They looked at the baby that lay sleeping, half covered with a blanket at the centre of the magical circle, his body painted with a black tattoo that snaked everywhere from the neck down to his torso where it disappeared under the cover and reappearing down his legs, the Servant's Mark.

"Are you sure 'binding' is a good idea?" Theodor said. "Isn't it a bit harsh?"

"Too late for any regrets kittens," Putnam replied. "It's done. We can't have another incident like Alena's happen again."

"I know but…"

"You've said nothing but 'but' since this thing began. If you say it again or so help me god…"

"That's enough," Danvers reprimanded. "We're all tired. Let's just get some rest and we'll plan some more tomorrow."

They straightened up, brushing their clothes. Theodor went to take the baby in his arms; it was his turn to care for the baby for the night.

"Hmm, I just remember something that now we're done."

"What is it kittens?" Garwin rested his head on Theodor's shoulder from behind, fingering the baby's cheek with gentle ease. "Please don't begin ranting on our misdeed."

"What are we going to name the baby?"

The others stilled, obviously having forgotten that tiny detail.

They gathered around Theodor and the baby. The baby cooed in his sleep.

"Uhmm, I thought you ladies had figured that out amongst yourselves." Putnam said out at last.

Parry raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think that it's our job to name him?"

Putnam shrugged.

They looked again at the baby, entranced as the baby suckled on his thumb.

"Now that I have the time to realize it, the kid's a beauty." Garwin piped in. "How bout naming her Megan after my grandmother. She'll grow up to be a looker and we'll have to trouble with the boys hounding her."

Theodor made a tsking sound. "I don't think he'll appreciate being called Megan when he grows up, you moron."

"Wait a minute," Garwin gasped. "She's a HE?"

"Congratulations, Garwin. You just evolved a brain in that thick head of yours." Parry chided.

"Weren't you paying attention when we use the term 'him' and 'he' most of the time?"

"I guess I didn't exactly want anything to do with the kid much," he smiled sheepishly.

They all looked again at the baby. The sight tugged at their hearts.

"He's going to be trouble, isn't he?" Gareth Garwin sighed as he watched the baby drooled. "He looked so much like his mother."

"Probably be the death of us instead of 'over-using'." Danver chuckled.

"How about Ashley after my uncle?" Parry suggested.

"NO!" said the other for in unison. Theodor put the baby on the cot as the others went outside bickering over the most suitable name. Theodor followed them, not wanting to be left out in naming the baby.

They had arrived on the grounds of the New World, as guardians of the baby whose parents had died and entrusted them with the baby, little Michel, named after Alena's French grandfather.

The five founded Ipswhich. Then the Covenant of Silence, with Michel as the family insurance, numbering six as Inner silence.


End file.
